Embracing Our Identity as God's Obedient Children

"the way that verse 14 argues as obedient children don't be conformed seems to say that being a child is a motive for not being conformed he doesn't say get your passions fixed so that you can become a child right that's not Christianity he says as obedient children you've been born verse three he caused you to be born again you're born into a family and now you have a father and you are a child and as a new child in a new family with a new father let that have an effect on your behavior We Love Our Father we don't want to dishonor Our Father we are obedient children we are chips off the old block is that is what new birth says isn't it when you get a new birth by the spirit you get a new DNA a spiritual DNA and and all kinds of new passions are written into that DNA" [00:03:23]

"grow up into salvation eagerly desire the sincere spirit spiritual milk that you may grow into salvation cuz I don't want to create the impression that the moment you're born again you have all these new passions full-blown immediately you don't and first Peter knows you don't chapter 2 verse two is growth and chapter 2:3 is be built into a house there's this process that comes into being let's see if we can see if we can get there okay let's see we can summarize this is this little slide right here is a summary of of what we've seen so far we have uh God who is at the front of everything right Ultimate Reality God we're not ultimate he's ultimate always been there" [00:80:79]

"this God is a god of great Mercy where would we be where would we be since we've not lived up to our own standards let alone his this God of great Mercy sends a bleeding and Rising Christ into the world he dies for Sinners he's raised from the dead then he comes to each of us and he awakens us from our deadness spiritually and we experience New Birth in this new birth in the new family we have new knowledge not the old ignorance but new knowledge of a great inheritance and the father's getting us there so the inheritance is great and he keeps us for it we know that now because we've been born again and out of that new knowledge that new knowledge come new passions of faith hope joy and out of that comes new conduct namely Holiness" [00:139:31]

"and if you call on him as father who judges impartially according to each one's Deeds conduct yourselves so he's still at the conduct level here conduct yourselves throughout the time of your Exile still got that in mind with fear so the basic command in verse 17 is live a life of fear and we just like that jars us because you you know you've probably heard that the most frequent command in the Bible is fear not and here we're being told to live our whole lives in fear Verse 18 knowing so this is this is a a foundation or a reason for living your life in fear knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways that's that's the old ways in ignorance the feudal ways so here's feudal ways and here's new conduct so conduct yourselves with fear this is new and you were bought you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers" [00:243:68]

"knowing that you were ransomed from the feudal ways inherited from your forefathers not with perishable things like this The Ransom that was paid for you it's not like gold and silver it's not like a billion dollar a mere billion dollars such a silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without blemish or spot so he's contrast ing a a ransom payment that is small and a ransom payment that is infinite the blood of the Son of God and if you say well that Ransom really can't free me from the feudal ways inherited from my parents then you are saying something untrue about the blood of Jesus this is worth a lot of your prayer a lot of your thought a lot of your discussion if you're in counseling you should take this to your counselor you just take these verses to your counselor and say how do you think that works counselors ought to have to come to terms with things like that" [00:422:88]

"conduct yourselves with fear throughout your Exile because you know you've been ransomed with an infinite price does that make any sense at all conduct yourself with fear because you know an infinite price has been paid to rescue you that wouldn't produce fear that produces hope so this is the kind of thing that causes me to just think and think and think and pray and pray cuz I want to get this I want to get this you're tell telling me to live my whole life in fear conduct conduct yourself in fear because you know you know that you were ransomed from all the deadly ways of your forefathers not with mere billion dollars worth of gold but with the precious blood of Jesus therefore Live Your Life In Fear okay here's my attempt at a solution to that I mean you you could I suppose just immediately oh fear doesn't mean fear it means reverence okay that" [00:563:40]

"here's a picture do a little picture for you you have been uh kidnapped say you're 18 years old you're a young woman and and they send your dad a ransom note that says they want a million dollars and uh you leave it here she'll pick it up um and and uh I mean we'll pick it up and and let her go meet you on this field and uh and so you love her and and though it's risky and the police May advise you against it you're going to take whatever risk necessary to to get your daughter and so you you somehow get the million dollars together mortgage everything or whatever and and and then you take it and you put it out there and you walk to the appointed place and she walks out picks it up walks back and says sucker I think what first Peter is saying fear that that ever happens to you I don't ever become that young woman don't don't ever take the blood of Jesus and uh pretend that it doesn't rescue you from evil conduct and just go ahead and side up with the devil and bang on the blood of Jesus to get you out of hell in the end while you live like the devil here don't treat the blood blood that way the price don't treat your dad that way don't treat Jesus that way" [00:659:72]

"fear frequently in the New Testament than I don't know whether I have any other verses to illustrate this no um I've got them written here I think fear in the New Testament frequently is a um is a motive to keep you from acting in a way that would bring dishonor upon the Lord and to drive you to Christ where there is hope here's a few verses that point in that direction Romans 11:20 that is true the they were broken off the the Jewish branches were broken off because of unbelief but you stand fast through faith so do not become proud but fear that means fear unbelief can you handle that Paradox I don't want to mess up your life here I don't want you to walk out of here thinking you're supposed to be walking in fear like he he may not he he may not love me I want what I want you to fear is your unbelief you're walking out and saying sucker fear that you might wake up tomorrow morning and say sucker to God fear that and what what does that fear do to you that fear drives you into Faith drives you into hope drives you into girting up the loins of your minds and being sober and setting your hope fully on the things that are to come so that you don't Drift Away into cherishing the world and sucker love the world" [00:775:56]

"conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your Exile I mean I think means conduct yourselves with a kind of fear and trembling that Paul talks about a fear and trembling that recognizes how frail you are and how desperately you need Grace and then fly to Grace fall on Grace and put away fear it's a rhythm numerous other passages Luke 12 Don't Fear the one who can only kill the body fear Him who can cast both soul and body into hell yes I tell you fear him that kind of fear should drive us to the Cross drive us to Faith" [00:879:84]